Hawk pulled Linda away from the crack, and saw the stray had come back. "You again?"
"Listen, I don't want to cause trouble. And what's that crack doing there?"
"It's only bad news, pal. You should be out of here too."
"I'll stick by you too, for your human's safety."
"Fine..."
The trio moved away in the direction of David's house...
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From the ground, several fiery creatures too large to be imps came crawling out, upon their heads were ancient runes carved into their foreheads...
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"If you care for your friends that much," Blight hissed, "then you start looking for them. But time is now against you..."
Charlie gritted his teeth. "Come on, Itchy. They can't be too far. But I'll be back, cat."
"I'm sure you will..."